The child falls and skins his knee and we put a band-aid on it to protect the site and staunch any bleeding. All is well. What we do not do is put a band-aid on it to heal the injury. Band-aids don't do that. We use the term for a variety of makeshift, temporary solutions recognizing that it's not a fix. We have all sorts of those things around. We have "gun control" to remedy a problem of the heart that allows people to bypass conscience and kill at will ... with whatever weapon is at hand. We offer "restraining orders" to keep a dangerous person from threatening someone ... even though the person is already dangerous and likely won't care about your restraining order. We provide "gender-affirming care" for people who think they're born the wrong sex even though transgenders have one of the highest suicide rates in the country (a clue to a deeper problem than "gender") and science tells us there is only "male" and "female" as a biological reality. Homosexual sex is known to have a high risk for AIDS/HIV, so they now offer a pill to decrease the risk ... but not the drive. They offer free condoms and needles to decrease the chance of unwanted pregnancy or illness caused by illicit sex or drug use ... but do nothing to help stop illicit sex or drug use. Band-aids.
Scripture does offer actual solutions. We just don't like it. The obvious biblical solution is to trust Christ. That sounds simplistic, even ludicrous. "You're saying that by trusting Christ I will have solutions to massive problems like we talked about?" Yes. But that's because "trust Christ" results in "born again," a "new creation" (2 Cor 5:17). "Trust Christ" results in God working in you to will and to do His good pleasure (Php 2:13). It is a changed heart. Not just a band-aid. We don't like it, however, because the way it works is ... death. It means identifying with Christ's death (Gal 2:20) and considering yourself dead to sin and alive to God (Rom 6:11). It is a self-crucifixion (Matt 10:38; Matt 16:24). It requires crucifying the flesh with its passions and desires (Gal 5:24). And that is not a "warm and fuzzy," popular approach.
A band-aid is a temporary measure to cover a problem. It is supposed to aid in the solving of that problem, but we generally use it to cover the problem -- out of sight, out of mind. Real problems in this life generally don't solve themselves, and simply using a form of a band-aid is no real help. But we know the real solution. We know the Savior. We need to avail ourselves of that solution and offer it to others.
5 comments:
I can't imagine that anyone can look at the problems of this world and think that addressing the effect rather than the cause is going to be helpful in any way.
Excellent point, with one minor quibble. I'd suggest that the role of the Band Aid is not so much to hide the injury, as it is to protect the injury so that it can heal properly. In that sense, one could say that a role of The Church is to protect and help people heal. Obviously, the ultimate healing and problem solving is dependent on YHWH, but there is probably a role for The Church in there as well.
It seems like part of what drives the behavior you are writing about is our desire to have everything fixed immediately. It seems like YHWH is more interested in fixing things permanently at some point in the future rather than fixing everything that bothers us in the moment.
Well, I did say, "We put a bandaid on it to protect the site and staunch any bleeding."
And the big problem, David, is that so few people have a clue anymore as to what the cause is.
Stan,
You did. You also made it clear that it's a "makeshift, temporary fix", and that Band Aids don't "heal the injury". While a Band Aid is temporary, it does exactly what it is designed to do, and is (or can be) an important part of the healing process. It doesn't actually heal, but it does provide an important part of the healing process. As I said, it's definitely a minor quibble about an excellent point.
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